Why I am the best qualified candidate for Missouri State Auditor.

Susan Montee’s website celebrates her experience as an attorney and CPA, which she feels makes her the most qualified candidate to be Missouri’s State Auditor. Tom Schweich proclaims how he loves to do audits. I readily concede that both Tom and Susan can do a better audit than I do. I would love to have them on my staff. However, the State Auditor has a staff of 125 people, many qualified to do a great audit. In fact, many of the audits are not even done by Susan. She just oversees them. Susan claims to have saved Missouri millions of dollars. However, there is no accounting of this, which is kind of ironical in that the State Auditor has no real verification that she has saved the state any money. The State Auditor’s budget is close to $5,000,000 and we really have no accounting of whether or not it pays for itself. What we need is an auditor that can actually save the state of Missouri money. Accountants are good at doing accounting, but not usually that good at achieving action and results. It takes a different skill. What we need is an auditor that can aggressively carry out the recommendations in the audit. How many of Susan’s staff’s recommendations are carried out? We don’t know. She does her audit, makes recommendations and moves on to the next audit. No real follow up. We live in a society that loves to create volumes of paper. In fact, we are overwhelmed by paper. In 2009, Susan had overseen 151 audits, thousands of pages all buried away somewhere read by almost no one, like the 2,200 page financial reform bill that no one reads and no one knows what it will mean. What we need today more than ever is simplicity, action, and leadership, not more audits. If the state auditors job is to do audits and provide transparency Susan has done a great job but if it is to actually save the state money I’m afraid she falls short. Accountants are great at counting the number of trees in the forest but often miss the forest.

Talking about Progress

Susan Montee has done and outstanding job in producing audits. In 2009, with a staff of approximately 130 and a budget close to 5 million dollars, she turned out 151 audits. So what has been the net result of all of these audits? Do we know if these audits saved the state any money? How many of her recommendations were acted upon? We just don't know. The audits are very thorough but they don't tend to differentiate the important from the unimportant. In the Jennings School district "Administrative salaries increased by a total of approximately $988,000 from fiscal year 2006 to 2008. The increase is primarily due to the creation of nine administrative positions" is given the same weight as the city of Florissant's audit. " Rental revenue lost to the city ranged from approximately $11,600 to $18,200. City tables and chairs were used for the Mayor's wedding anniversary at no charge."(For shame!) The contrast of such audits should seem clear-cut. However, both carried similar press. I want to know who hired theses administrators for $988,000 dollars? Are they still there?
Simply put, I would like fewer audits and more net results. We don't really know if the Auditor's office saves the state money or cost the state money. As State Auditor I would focus on the important, do what I can to name and expose those responsible, get the media involved and put pressure to actually cause some of my recommendations to be enacted.

Politics: Money never sleeps

Politicians, like the rest of us, are most interested in keeping their jobs. As a result they care more about campaign contributions than they do about voters. Both of the parties are now controlled by money and special interest groups. If you are not a lawyer, corporate exec, or member of a union don't expect much help from a Republican or Democrat. Keep in mind that most politicians are experts at dancing around topics and fabricating promises. They spend countless sacks of money to find out just what the voters want and then they promise those same exacts "wants" knowing full well that they are unlikely to be delivered. Washington's finest are also good at creating this illusion that there is this big difference between Republicans and Democrats. If so, tell me how nothing has seemed to change over the past decades?

Politicians are all part of the wealthy elite, they drive the same cars and drink at the same bars. They even sing the same song, "Help ourselves, help our friends, and help our re-election". If you have grown to dislike that tune, vote for a true change.